Toiletries, jewellery, bags and personalised gifts all planned as part of 50th birthday celebrations.
A raft of new licensees are due to launch product for The Very Hungry Caterpillar as part of its 50th birthday celebrations.
New licensees coming to retail this year include natural family skincare specialist Bloom and Blossom, which is currently developing The Very Hungry Caterpillar range of toiletries within its Bath, Book and Bedtime mission.
In addition, Licensed to Charm – a creator of unique licensed jewellery and charms – will produce a special range of The Very Hungry Caterpillar jewellery for babies, including christening gifts.
This year will also see the arrival of personalised gifts from Signature PG and bags from William Lamb.
Already launched at retail by new licensees for 2019 are butterfly and insect sets from educational product company Insect Lore and a new playnest from development toy specialist Galt.
The deals were secured by Rocket Licensing which manages the UK licensing for the classic brand.
Other activity includes Rainbow Designs launching its new Tiny and Very Hungry Caterpillar collection of infant toys, while Dennicci’s new babywear collection will be launching into Sainsbury’s in May. New product will also be seen across areas such as dress-up, gardening products and social stationery.
Meanwhile, The Very Hungry Caterpillar publisher Puffin is planning to publish six new books in this anniversary year including a gold 50th anniversary edition. These will be supported by a PR and marketing campaign that includes Very Hungry Birthday Parties across hundreds of bookshops, a major online campaign, lighting up London with butterfly projections, and placement of the much-loved caterpillar across a range of print, online and broadcast media.
“Awareness and appreciation of Eric Carle’s classic children’s character has always been high, but now, with The Very Hungry Caterpillar celebrating his 50th year, interest from consumer, media and retail is greater than ever, a fact reflected in the growth of an already strong licensee list which now boasts over 30 UK partners,” said Melissa Satterly, brand manager at Rocket Licensing. “We are delighted to welcome these new licensees to the programme in this tremendously exciting year for the brand.”
